


Memoirs of an OC, Outsider Character

by TenshiNoFuu



Series: Memoirs of an OC [1]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Multiple Crossovers, Original Character-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2009-08-31
Updated: 2009-08-31
Packaged: 2017-11-19 11:55:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/573003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TenshiNoFuu/pseuds/TenshiNoFuu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A real girl not really fan of One Piece was sent on Grand Line and at MarineFord despite herself, thanks to her brother's power. Not knowing anything, she contributed to saving Ace, disrupting of the original canon storyline... Now stuck in this world, she and her brother must fix the huge PARADOX they've created with everyone's help!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Memoirs of an OC, Outsider Character

_What happens when a girl not especially fond of One Piece criticise this manga in front of her brother, a very devoted author of fan-fictions on the same universe?_

* * *

**Original Happening Date:** Summer 2009, Post Water7 Arc  
 **Universe:** Dream-Related Universe  
 **Themes:** Adventure, Friendship, Parody  
 **Pairings:** LuNa  
 **Number of Chapters:** 1 **/ Words:** 15 200  
 **Rating:** T  
 **Warnings:** None  
 **Credits:** Another version of this story is told under the profile of Clowsama (in French and with a different formatting) | All characters beside the two OCs (Outsider Characters) Fuu and Clow are the property of Eiichiro Oda and their respective copyrights holders across the world  
 **Guest Star:** Clow, alias Clowsama ([www.fanfiction.net/u/1552380/Clowsama](http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1552380/Clowsama))

* * *

# THE DAY AN AUTHOR GOT HIS REVENGE ON HIS SISTER

# ...

**REALITY**

"Hey, Fuu! Look, I just finished the last chapter of my 'Dragon Warrior' story! So, what do you think about it? Come on… Come on, I will amaze my readers with something that genial!" Clow said to his sister, pinning a laptop on her laps to make her read what was on the screen.

"Hum… The story line is interesting! But you know… One Piece is not really my cup of tea, so…" Fuu answered after proofreading the final draft of the new chapter of her brother's fan-fiction.

"Oh, that's true… Damn, I forgot that my poor sister can barely differentiate the names of the different protagonists… How could she appreciate my hard work?" Clow said with a pitiful expression, "I'm starting to wonder: are we really from the same family?"

"Grr… I perfectly heard what you just whispered! Don't take me so lightly!" Fuu uttered, quite vexed.

"Oh?! Really…?! Then do me the favour of running to the book shelves and read all the adventures of One Piece instead of losing your time on some idiotic Shoujo mangas!” Clow began with an arrogant and proud expression, “One Piece is a classic; it's a myth, a piece of art, an unavoidable reference of the world of mangas! You must…"

"Yes, sure, sure…" Fuu nodded with an uninterested tone.

_As if I would lose my time reading THAT…_ she thought while shaking her hand to dust away the remark.

"But… don't you realize that there must be hundreds no, thousands, millions of girls worldwide who would sell their soul to live inside the adventurous world of One Piece?" Clow asked in a rhetoric tone, eyes glittering with worship.

"That's very nice for them…" Fuu commented with a yawn.

"Ah, what a shame…!!! How can it be that my sister can't understand the greatness of this fantastic manga…" Clow cried, speaking to himself.

"Well… If you haven't anything more interesting to speak about with me, I'm going to bed! You know, it's the 104th time that you're trying to convert me to One Piece universe: honestly, you're more persistent than a peddler…" Fuu sighed, definitely bored by the topic.

"But it's because you don't understand!" Clow shouted, pointing at her with an accusing stance, "How can I stay quiet when you don't understand how deep the characters are and…"

"Oh, enough!" Fuu cut, quite on the nerves now, "That's not my cup of tea and that's all! Why should I feel obliged to follow the adventures of a stupid marshmallow boy, a money-obsessed girl, a stinky playboy chef, a swordsman not even handsome, and a strange micro plush toy?"

Clow couldn't even articulate a riposte, way too shocked by the heartless description of his heroes.

"I like adventure, and I like mangas!" Fuu stated, challenging her brother, "But you will have to give me a fascinating scenario and a cute love story to make me read 50 tomes of it! Well, on that note, good night."

Fuu left the room, slamming the door, leaving her brother still in shock.

"She… she called Luffy a marshmallow boy… and… and Zoro an unattractive swordsman… and… and… Oh, I really can't let this pass me by! Oh no! Muahahahahaha!" Clow added with a sadistic laugh.

And Clow re-opened his notebook and started typing slowly.

* * *

_The call of seagulls… Huh, the sound of the tide… So relaxing! It's so cool to hear that when waking up. Is it a new Zen CD that Mom has bought? And… I can feel the wind, the salty wind of the sea… SEA?!_

Fuu popped her eyes wide open.

She was lying on a grassy wooden floor and all she could see from her position was the immense sky where seagulls were flying.

She jumped to sit back and looked around her. An endless ocean…

_Waaahhh! Is this a joke? What am I doing at sea? No, correction, what am I doing on a boat sailing at sea?_

A small animal then entered Fuu's field of vision: a small reindeer with a blue nose and a huge red hat, carrying a box full of medicine flasks.

_No… Wait a minute… Déjà vu?_ Fuu thought with cold sweats running down her spin.

The little reindeer suddenly stopped, having noticed the girl, and stared at Fuu.

Fuu stared back at the reindeer, still lost in her thoughts.

Then the small animal brusquely let his box go, as if he realizing he had forgotten something important, and run away, abandoning his box and its content on the floor.

"Luffy… Everyone… Intruder! An intruder! There is an intruder on the Sunny!" screamed the little reindeer.

_No! Wait! Wait a second… Do NOT tell me that… Kyaaaaa!!!_

Fuu barely managed to crawl aside, dodging a sword that cut through the wooden floor, right where Fuu was standing mere seconds ago.

"Tsk… A miss..." said a green-haired swordsman with a scary look for his opponent.

"Wh… What are you talking about?!" Fuu shouted, reaching the pinnacle of panic, "Thank God you missed! What's going on with you? Attacking people like that, are you crazy?!"

"Wow! Chopper was right! We have an intruder onboard!" stated a grinning teenage boy wearing a red vest and a straw-hat, when joining the scene.

_Are you kidding me?! Tell me there is something wrong!!! Tell me I CAN'T possibly be in front of the characters of One Piece?!_

“So, what are you doing here?” Luffy grinned while squatting near the intruder with a genuine curious expression.

"Ah, hum…” Fuu paused, suddenly realising that she had her part of interaction in the whole mess.

_I have NOTHING to do here!!!_

“I… I am sorry for my presence here, it is a huge mistake, I am leaving immediately!" Fuu answered to Luffy.

And she then fall on her back on the grassy deck, closed her eyes tightly and focused in order to wake up.

_I need to focus… It's a dream! Of course it's a dream – correction: a nightmare – but still part of an oneiric and not real world! Yes, of course, a very realistic dream but still a dream! So I can just wake up! If I just lay down…_ Fuu was imagining while doing exactly all the steps her mind was telling her to do in order to go back to sleep, _Close my eyes… and think of going back in my bed, I…_

_Eh?_ she thought when she opened her eyes again and was still seeing Luffy staring at her.

_How come I'm still there? Okay, then let's take some more radical measures…_

Fuu started pinching her cheek, pinching harder, punching herself and even laid down on the floor again while turning to the side and the other in order to fall back asleep and escape the awful situation.

_WHY CAN’T I WAKE UP?! I can usually wake up from any bad dream just by wishing it! Come on!!!_

"Why am I not waking up?" Fuu muttered as if speaking to herself, completely panicked, "Why?"

The rest of the Mugiwara crew has by then arrived, and was cautiously watching the strange show of their uninvited guest hitting her own head and muttering things like waking up, and they seemed really bewildered.

_That's a dream! That must be a dream! I am sure the stupid argument I had with my idiot of a brother provoked it! Wait a minute… My idiot of a brother… Could it be…?_

_NO! No, please tell me it's a misunderstanding! Don't tell me I am here because of him! He couldn't have gone that far just to punish me? Please, please tell me it's an error! Tell me I will wake up soon!_

Fuu was now hiding her head in her arms, in a foetus position on her back, starting to roll on the floor in a distressed attitude.

"Shishishi, she's funny!" Luffy said, who was still squatting down in front of her, laughing out loud.

"Funny or not, she's an intruder. She's suspicious! Even her clothes are weird!" Zoro said with a quick glance for the hazelnut-haired girl on the floor.

"My clothes are NOT weird! That's just some short pants and nightgown I am using as pyjamas! And they are pretty normal from where I come from!" Fuu shouted, reacting instinctively to the criticism, "And besides, you're in no position of criticizing my outfit: what's with this slashed top of yours? You look like you just battled, and it reeks of perspiration!"

TILT. A vein suddenly bopped on Zoro's forehead and he started to unsheathe his sword.

"She's right, Marimo." Sanji laughed, grinning widely at the scene, "You mustn't criticize a lady's outfit! Especially when it's so obvious you have no style!"

"What…?! Do you want to fight, Ero-Cook?" Zoro replied with an evil grin.

"And a bad temper too! But well, whenever you want!" answered Sanji, launching a flying kick.

SHIN. Fuu watched speechlessly, her mouth gaping wide open, as Zoro and Sanji started fighting in mid-air.

_Kyaaaa!!! What with these two strong-looking fighters who start getting at each other’s throat for a mere comment on their fashion style?! Danger, danger, someone, please stop them!!!_

Fuu shot a desperate glance at the rest of the Mugiwara crew, but felt even more puzzled by their reaction to the fight: some were sighing of weariness, some were cheering and laughing, but no one was apparently planning on stopping them, as if it was normal to see such a fight.

_No way… They REALLY are like that?! Seriously?! It wasn't just an exaggeration of my stupid brother…_

_Hey, wait, it's not the time to think about that! Let’s see… the matter at hand…_

"Hum…” Fuu tried when finally speaking up for everyone to hear her, her mind struggling to recover some countenance and behave normally – or rather a bit more normally.

Everyone turned their head to look at their unwanted guest.

“I… I am very sorry for being on your boat without your permission. I… I am Fuu and, hum… I promise to do all I can to leave this ship as soon as possible. Yes, definitely…! I will leave as soon as I can! It's really a misunderstanding. I really didn't want to come here in the first place and cause you all these problems, really… I am really sorry!" Fuu apologized in a polite bow.

Everyone stared at her for a second, and Fuu felt cold sweats running down her spin.

"Luffy, she doesn't look like a bad person…" Chopper finally said, a bit moved by the polite apology.

"It's true she doesn't look like an enemy!" Franky agreed at contemplating the white-pyjama-wearing girl.

“I still think it’s weird for her to be there!” Usopp frowned, “It might be dangerous!!! Luffy, did I tell you I have the disease of never-letting-strangers-board-the-ship-if-not-they-will-backstab-you?”

“Eh?! Really?!” Chopper believed with eyes bulging out of their sockets at such a declaration.

“Hum…” Luffy paused while making a funny expression.

“I don’t think she’s an enemy either…” Robin said with a soft smile for the unwanted guest, “And she did say she will leave as soon as possible…”

“Hum…” Luffy paused once more with an even funnier expression, before turning towards their guest again to stare at her forcefully.

“Hey, Luffy!” Sanji called– who had apparently finished his fight with Zoro, “I would like not to send back a lady alone at sea, and in case you would be worried, there’s enough food on-board for her too without cutting in your share!”

TILT. Luffy’s smile had sprung back on his face.

"Okay, great!" he said while patting forcefully the unknown girl’s shoulder, "You can stay here until you find a way back, F…"

“Fuu…” she muttered while massaging her shoulder which was starting to hurt from the friendly pat.

“Fuu!” Luffy grinned, quite satisfied to have such an easy name to pronounce.

“Th… thanks…” Fuu smiled, Luffy’s contagious grin having reached his interlocutor.

The official invitation made Zoro frown, Usopp rant and Chopper come out from behind Zoro’s legs, but the rest of the crew was still a bit perplexed.

"It sounds like the best alternative, indeed…” Robin nodded, “But the important question is: how did she get on the boat? We are already navigating since several days so I can't really see when she could have come on board…"

"That's true! We didn't get close to any island or any other boat recently… Hey, where are you coming from… Fuu?" Nami asked to their unwanted guest, frankly perplexed.

_Where do I… come from? Sob sob…_

"Sob… It's a long story…" Fuu began, brooding and tracing small circles on the floor with her finger, "It’s a place… well, a place… quite far away, I guess… and the way I ended up here is complicated too… sob sob… How to put it…? It's all because of my brother, I guess… Where should I start explaining…"

_I can't just tell them I am coming from a different world… What am I supposed to say?_

"Well, I don't care, it's not important!" Luffy interrupted with a large grin, "You can stay on the Sunny until we reach the next island: I am sure you will find a way to go back home then! And everyone is doing like they want, here, so take it easy!”

SHIN. Everyone’s stare converged to Luffy, quite dumbfounded by his declaration.

“Oh, Robin!” Luffy called, “Can you show her the girls' cabin?”

“Sure.” the archaeologist nodded with one of her usual smiles.

_Luffy…?_ Fuu paused while gazing at the straw-hat-wearing captain who had gotten back on his feet to walk away, _He… Is it that he really doesn’t care? Or did he notice that I was troubled by explaining my story? It can’t be that he wanted to spare me…? But… Well, maybe…_

_Then I guess… he is not the idiot I was imagining him to be…_

"Luffy, are you sure it's okay?" Nami asked, "I mean…"

"Yep!" said Luffy with a charming smile for his navigator, "I don’t want to spend so long for something like that. She doesn’t look dangerous and there’s enough food, so it’s okay. And Robin can help out, because I promised to spend this afternoon with you."

Nami smiled, shared between her usual cunning expression and cheeks slightly pink with happiness.

“You’d better be!” she answered while pulling out her tongue, her tone implying her captain wouldn’t have gone away with it if he had stood her up to tour the Sunny with their ‘guest’ instead, no matter if their crew had always been a place welcoming people regardless of where they were coming from.

"Well then!" Luffy said, gently yet strongly grabbing Nami’s hand in his to pull her onto him before throwing his other elastic hand in the direction of the look-out.

_E…ELASTIIIIIIIIIIC???_ Fuu inwardly panicked at seeing a human body part stretch until the higher part of the mast.

And with a happy grin, Luffy catapulted himself up, Nami in his arms, leaving Fuu and the others behind.

SHIN. A small silence fell on the deck, everyone gazing at their captain and navigator who had ‘eloped’ together.

"Hum… Are these two…?" Fuu began by pointing at Luffy and Nami who just left, her mind having finally recovered from the shock.

"Lovers…? Yes, if that is your question." Robin answered.

"Really…? They don’t really look like a matching couple, though…" Fuu hesitated, with a though for the childish adventure-lover and the cunning money-lover she had heard about from her brother, way different than the usual starring couple of her beloved Shoujo-mangas.

_Well… in the end, it doesn’t really work by rules, I guess…! My idiot of a brother may have been kind of right about them…_

"Well, they are not the type to be all lovey-dovey in public." Robin conceded, before adding with a smile: "Even if we all already know about what they feel for each other…"

Fuu looked at everyone agreeing to Robin's explanation, except Sanji who had a resigned annoyed expression on his lips and Zoro who had for long left the deck.

"Well, everyone can go back to what they were doing." the archaeologist said, "I will take care of showing the ship to our guest."

“Ah…” Fuu realised at stumbling back on her feet, shaking her head from side to side to try and put some order in her mind.

Sanji, Usopp, Franky and Chopper left the two girls, and Robin brought Fuu to the different places inside the boat, describing who was doing what within the crew. But Fuu’s mind was only partially attentive, the other part boiling at full strength.

_Okay, so let's summarise! One: I am inside the world of One Piece, and it doesn't seem to be a mere dream. Two: I am sure I am in this present mess because of my brother, I must have really vexed him yesterday and he is taking his revenge. Three: when I'm coming back home, I slaughter him. Four: I managed not to get killed right now but nothing is more uncertain in the future. So conclusion: I must find a way back, at all cost!_

Fuu interrupted her train of thoughts to answer Robin who was showing her the bed she could use in the girl’s cabin, as well as all the other rooms used on a daily basis on the Thousand Sunny. She needed at least an answer of two from her guest, which Fuu provided most courteously, her awaken nightmare hadn't made her forget her very polite education in the midst of delirium.

_So… going back… How…?_

_Let's see, in all the stories of parallel universe, when the heroine is brought inside the adventure, it's because she has a mission to accomplish, so… No, wait a second! It's my brother I am talking about, there is simply NO way he would make me a heroine. Abandoning me here as sharks food supply seems more probable… Besides, I don't feel any change within me like a super strength or a new super power: I am as weak as in the real world. So I don't think he sent me here to accomplish a mission or whatever, if not he would have given me the power to fight… which means… I am just… a… a spectator?_

Fuu suddenly stopped walking and stared into the empty space, shocked by the conclusion she had just reached.

"Are you okay?" Robin asked, surprised.

"Oh… Y… yes I am fine, sorry to have stayed behind." Fuu answered absentmindedly.

_A spectator? No, you've got to be kidding… Does he really intend to keep me in this world watching the characters of One Piece living all their little adventures – no correction, their fan-fictions?_

_A fan-fiction… of course! It's a fan-fiction so my brother is the master of everything happening here: he's pulling the strings from behind his laptop! I am sure that my arrival here and everything that happened since that moment are part of his scenario!_

_…Or not? After all, I don't feel like I'm manipulated through some insane power: it seems like he can't control my reaction, nor my speech… So… is it really a fan-fiction? Or could it be that the real story has not begun yet? Don't tell me I need to wait for him to make them start their adventure? What a headache!!!_

At that moment, Robin was showing the outside of the ship to Fuu. And suddenly inspired by her little train of thoughts, Fuu throw herself on her knees on the deck, joining her hands in prayer on the wooden railing, and watched the sky with determination.

"Okay, my dear cute little brother! I definitely, sincerely and honestly regret everything I said yesterday, so bring me back home!" Fuu murmured, looking at the clouds.

SHIN. The wind kept blowing, silently, invariable.

"Okay… Grr, you wished it! Please, great CLOW-SAMA, grant me the permission of coming back home!" Fuu supplicated, desperate enough to go to such extent to get her brother's attention.

SHIN. The wind was blowing the clouds away but the sky didn't seem keen on answering Fuu's prayer.

Robin was patiently waiting for Fuu, but she looked quite puzzled.

Fuu was now trembling of rage, clenching her fists as she stood up again.

_No but… really…? What are expecting from me?! Bring me back home!!! You perfectly know that I don’t have my place here! What did you send me here for, in the first place?_

Fuu stared at the sky, tears of frustration building up in her eyes but she refused to let them leave her eyes.

_I even get the impression of hearing you say 'Hohoho, not yet, not yet!'… Are you trying to drive me crazy?! And look at me: speaking at an empty sky, as if I could expect an answer from Buddha! But I am not in the Legend of the Monkey King, sigh… I guess… I'm truly pathetic, huh…_

"Excuse me," Robin interrupted, suddenly serious, "Is this prayer part of the tradition of your people?"

"Huh…? Well, no, not really, probably… It's… well, I was just hoping it would let me go home… Kind of…" Fuu answered, a bit embarrassed by the scene she had just showed to the pirate.

"Really? It looked like something I came across in some study materials, in my research about Poneglyphs…" Robin muttered, bewildered.

"Really…?!" Fuu asked, her eyes shining with hope, "Really? Can I see them? Can I?"

_Thank God, the only smart and sensible person of this crew… I am sure she will be able to help me… Maybe she has some lead about how to send me back home, like a magical ritual or something… although I do not remember One Piece to have magic… hum, nevermind!_

"If you want, follow me." Robin said, leading Fuu to the study.

Once in the study-library, Robin pulled out a scroll from under a pile of books and documents.

Fuu drew nearer to look at the parchment, but her hopes were disappointed when she discovered it was just a representation of a stone tablet with a scene of payer, both sides of the picture covered with strange symbols.

_Well, what could I have expected…? Sigh. That seemed a little too simple too! I don’t think there has been enough girls sent into One Piece by their vengeful brothers to deserve a study on the topic in any History book of this world…_

"So, is it in correlation with your traditional culture? Or something related to the history of the people of your island?" Robin asked.

_My culture? I might be good in History but the real world is vast… Not just an island… But I can’t really tell them I’m coming from a place with 5 continents… Sigh…_

"Hum, not really... The scene is rather something related to religion…” Fuu answered absentmindedly while looking at the parchment.

_Let’s see… what are these weird symbols?_

“I have never seen the symbols on the left side, but the ones on the right are called hieroglyphs: it's a writing system used in the past in a country not too far from mine." Fuu described, pointing vaguely at the scroll.

_It looks like a scene from "The Book of the Dead" from Ancient Egypt. I am surprised to see that in the universe of One Piece… But then again, I think I remember that Robin is an archaeologist, so why not…_

"Then, can it be that you can read these symbols?" Robin insisted, suddenly pressing Fuu.

"Hey…?" Fuu said, surprised by the serious tone of Robin, "N… not entirely, no! It's an extinct language you know, but…"

At seeing Robin’s pressing expression, Fuu checked the parchment a second time and pointed at several hieroglyphs.

“I only these ones here and here…” she hesitated while polling her memory really hard, "This one is a symbol indicating that the name inscribed inside it is the name of a king... And this symbol here is used for speaking of scholar, science… And this one might be the curse of an evil god or an enemy… Ah… I don’t know these two here, but considering this one is for silence, we might think they’re explaining the way the Evil God silenced the scholars…"

Robin’s eyes had widened and brightened of excitement, making Fuu’s heart tingle a little and momentarily forget about her own troubles.

_Well, it's not like I have something more urgent to do, so… Let's help out with the few I know…_

Robin’s enthusiasm motivated Fuu into trying her best with the parchment, even if she kept on pressing Fuu for more elements that Fuu was unfortunately unable to translate most of the time.

_It feels a bit weird to end up reading some hieroglyph in a manga world… But well, after all, I DID want to be an archaeologist when I was a child, so I can’t really let a real one down when I can be of help, even if only a little…_

The deciphering of antique language dragged on several hours before Fuu could slowly excuse herself for not having any more knowledge to bring on the topic, leaving Robin enthusiastically writing down all the new translations that these comments have made possible – the Poneglyphs on the left being apparently the mirror translation of the hieroglyphs on the right.

On her own, Fuu went back on the deck and stared at the sky, frustrated to see that no Clow-shaped cloud was floating there to answer her wish of going back home.

She ventured absentmindedly on the superior deck and ended up in front of a little forest. Before she could even wonder how tree could grow on a ship, she heard voices coming from the collection of potted trees: Nami – back from her ‘date’ with Luffy – and Chopper were actively discussing the fate of these plants.

"Chopper, can't you do anything? These mikan trees are suffering because of the heat, but even when watering them several times a day, it's like if the sun was absorbing the water before the roots could do it… They are in a pitiful state…" Nami said with a sad voice.

"I know you really love these mikan trees, Nami, but I can’t do anything against the heat… I'm a doctor, not a horticulture expert!" Chopper said, preoccupied, "If it does not last too long, there shouldn't be any danger for the trees, but…"

"Hum…" Nami muttered with a cheerless smile, "Oh, h… hi, Fuu."

"H… hi!" Fuu answered, a bit embarrassed to have been found out before leaving this part of the deck.

"Here, it's my mikan trees garden. It's my most important place on this boat!" Nami explained with a forced smile, "I even forbid these stupid guys of coming here, just in case they would damage them!”

Nami’s smile faltered.

“But in the end… they are still suffering…" she said, softly patting a withered leaf in her hand.

_She really seems to care about these trees… Strange, I thought she was a girl who only cared about money… Still, she is doing her best to keep these plants healthy. I feel bad for having badmouthed her so much…_

Fuu gazed at Nami’s saddened expression and felt the bitter taste of guilt and mistake spread slowly in her mouth.

_Ugh… I feel really really bad! I… I need… Okay, what could I do to help?_

"Hum, is there something I can do?" Fuu asked, sincerely moved and readily throwing away her first prejudices in front of such a scene.

"Ah, hum… It's very nice from you but I don't think we can do anything against the heat in general… I even tried with my ClimaTact but it is useless on the long term…" Nami added, her eyes grey with sadness, "The earth is still drying too quickly…"

_Huh… Sounds like… something I have heard in the past… When? When was it? Oh yes, it was when Mom started gardening… I have to remember, how did she manage to avoid the earth of drying too quickly? How?_

Fuu’s eyes ended up on Luffy’s straw-hat that Nami had hanging on her back after having probably borrowed it from her boyfriend.

_Straw… hat… STRAW…?_

"Did… did you try covering the earth with something to avoid the sunlight to strike directly on it? Like straw or something similar… It should slow down the drying, I think…" Fuu hesitated, wondering how to present the suggestion.

SHIN? Chopper and Nami looked at each other, blinking a couple of time.

_Oups, seems like I was too nosy… They will laugh at me…_

"No, we never tried." Chopper said, nodding softly.

"We can do that! Let's do that! I’m sure it would help!!! Let's go and look for some straw!" Nami exclaimed with an enthusiastic grin.

“Yes!” Chopper agreed with a smile before dashing to the stairs leading to the main deck.

"O…okay…" Fuu agreed, surprised but following the flow and mentally searching for a place where straw might be found.

And the three of them separated to go and look for some useable straw: Nami where she was putting her stuff for gardening, Chopper in the apothecary, and Fuu at the workshop.

"Excuse-me…" Fuu asked, entering the workshop, "Is someone in?"

_In the end, here I am, looking for some straw to help out a girl I was criticizing only yesterday… I either deserve a couple of slaps or a pat on the head for having reflected on my misconceptions… I don’t really know if she’s really that obsessed with money, but she honestly seems to care about these mikan trees…_

“EXCUSE ME…” Fuu repeated, more loudly, while walking in the workshop, dodging boxes of metallic parts and weird gadgets.

"… and then, the Great Sogeking…" was telling Usopp but he stopped his story-telling when Fuu entered his field of vision.

"Someone! I am saved!" Franky whispered before raising his voice to ask, "Do you need something? Super Franky is at your disposal!"

And the blue-haired cyborg walked towards the newcomer, quite happy of the interruption.

"Ah, we are looking for some straw… It's for Nami's mikan trees." Fuu answered, a bit intimidated by the tall guy in front of her and endeavouring her best not to notice that he wasn’t wearing any pants.

"Some straw? No problem!" Franky declared, rummaging around in a few containers to the precious straw.

"Hum… Thanks!" Fuu said.

_Wow, he is really helpful for a cyborg exhibitionist, I mistook him!_

After a few minutes, Franky had found what they were looking for, and left the room to deliver it to their navigator.

And Fuu was left in the workshop with nothing more to do. She looked around, aimlessly, and her eyes fell on Usopp, who was staring at her with a distrustful expression.

“Don’t think you can go past the vigilance of the Great Sogeking!” he said with a self-important air, “Even if you’re a dangerous spy, there’s nothing you can do against the greatest sniper of all-time!”

“So… soge…?” Fuu paused while tilting her head on the side, quite puzzled by the declaration.

"What…?! You’ve never heard of the Great Sogeking…?!" Usopp asked, a buff of pride making him suddenly review his list of priorities.

"N… no…" Fuu admitted, scratching her cheek of embarrassment at thinking she barely knew the name of the different Mugiwaras, so any other character was just out of her range of knowledge, “Who is it…?”

_Let’s see… I am quite sure my brother mentioned this name before… But who is it again? The Pirate King…? No, I think it was someone like Go… Gold Roger, the same last name as our uncle… Hum… So who is this other King…?_

"Well you see…” Usopp began who had fallen in big-stories mode, his nose getting even longer as usual, “He’s the greatest sniper of the Five Blues and… blablabla…”

' _huge monologue about the wonders and virtues of the Great Sogeking'_

“… blablabla… Moreover blablabla, and blablabla… Impressive isn't it?" Usopp uttered, letting finally Fuu speak after a monologue of nearly half an hour.

"Huh… Yes…" Fuu confessed, her head spinning after such a shower of words, "I would really love to be able to do a tenth of what he is able to do…"

_Seriously, even if I consider that half of what he told me is made of lies or exaggerations, this King of Sniper is far better than I would ever dream of becoming! One Piece World is really made of amazing characters… Sob, why did my idiot of a brother send me here without a single fighting technique?_

"Would… would you like to hear more stories about the Great Sogeking?" Usopp articulated with difficulty, moved to find at least an auditor other than Chopper worth telling all of this.

"Sure… why not…" Fuu politely said, while thinking that she had nothing urgent to do anyway, and that it would be better to learn more about the dangerous people of this world if she wanted to have a chance to come back home alive.

_This girl is a good person!_ Usopp thought, his eyes shining with pride, and definitely forgetting his first suspicions about her.

"So, there is also the story where Sogeking… blablabla…" Usopp started with big gestures.

The big analogy of Sogeking lasted until the bell of lunch ringed throughout the ship, calling everyone in the kitchen.

Sanji had already put all the dishes on the table when Fuu entered the dining room, and Luffy especially was impatient to see everyone sit so that they could begin eating.

Fuu politely sit down on a chair and kept quiet for the whole of the meal, trying not to gap at the show.

_Wow! That's even more impressive in reality than in a manga! How much can Luffy's mouth stretch to gobble up food? And… kyaaa! What with this elastic hand crossing the table at full speed?! Don’t they know it is common manners to ask your neighbour to hand you the dish next to them…?_

After every dish had been dutifully cleaned from its content, everyone went back to their activities, leaving Fuu sitting in the dining room and recover from the dumbfounding feeling of seeing such a quantity of food disappear so quickly and in such a way…

"Hey, Fuu-chan, if you didn't have enough to eat because of these guys, I can cook you something if you want…" Sanji asked, a little worried.

"Ah, hum… No I’m fine, thank you.” Fuu said, absent-minded, before realizing it was rude of her not answer correctly, “But thank you really much for asking.”

Sanji smiled back at her and resumed piling up the plates in the sink.

“By the way, are you the one who prepare all of this?” Fuu asked at realizing the quantity of food and dirty dishes it represented, “And you also clean everything? All alone?"

"Of course! It's my job!" Sanji answered with a large grin, "Serving delicious food and be sure that meals are moments of conviviality: that’s what makes a good chef!"

_Wow… he really takes it to heart! I'm impressed… Hum, somewhat, they’re all like that on this ship: a little crazy, but they all have a passion important to them and they are serious about it…_

Fuu gazed at the pile of dirty dishes and at the blond cook cleaning them while humming a singing ‘Mellorine, Mellorine’.

_Well…_ she thought with a shared expression, _Since I am stuck here, I should try and do my best too! After all, it does not sound like me to be complaining… and it’s not their fault if I ended up here… So I should at least try to be a bit useful instead of freeloading here and ranting about it on top of it… Where did my manners disappear? Mom, I’m really sorry, I promise to make up for it!!!_

"Hum, Sanji…?” Fuu called, her tone a bit hesitant but her resolution silently building up, “Would… would that be okay if I start helping you out in the kitchen? It's the only thing I know how to do on a ship, so… I would like to try and be a bit useful, somehow…"

SHIN. Sanji has paused in his washing of the dishes and blinked a couple of times.

“If… if it’s okay with you… Of course, I don’t mean to impose…” Fuu mumbled, while averting her yes, starting to blush a bit of shame for having asked a great chef a place in his kitchen, “I can… you know, just help a bit, for cleaning, or…”

But Fuu’s offer was interrupted when a couple of floating hearts came fluttering in her direction, and she cautiously raised her eyes back towards her interlocutor.

"Oh, Fuu-chwan… A goddess who deigns visiting my kitchen, I am so honoured!" declared a heart-shaped-eyed Sanji, falling into love-love mode.

And he tried to enthusiastically hug Fuu in a love-love twirl, to the latter’s complete panic.

Fuu instinctively grabbed whatever was available nearby to block the blond Casanova.

BAM. The sound of Sanji’s head hitting the metal lid of a big pot reverberated in the whole kitchen.

_Sa… safe…_ Fuu sighed of relief, _I mustn't forget that he is a sticky playboy despite having some good sides… But I promised to help so we’ll have to find a way to get along, I guess…_

"Fuu-chwan, so cold… Hum hum, let’s forget about that…” Sanji finally said while recovering his usual countenance, “Sure, you can help… And maybe also for preparing, depending on your skills…”

“Huh…?” Fuu reacted, hope shining in her eyes.

“So, how about you show me your talents? While I am finishing washing the dishes, please prepare what you know the best how to prepare. Based on the result, I will consider you." Sanji announced, with a light of challenge in his eyes.

"What I know the best how to prepare…?" Fuu whispered, "Hum… Okay!"

The afternoon passed by quietly in the kitchen.

Fuu had decided to prepare a huge chocolate cake decorated with marble-like covering, but she had had some trouble adapting to the utensils available on the Sunny, particularly missing the electronic scale and whisk from back home.

Meanwhile Sanji was doing the dishes, looking frequently at this cake and stopping from times to others his chores to ask Fuu what kind of ingredients she was adding or what kind of techniques for marbling she was using.

Of course, the frequent interruptions didn't help the cake to be done quicker, nor did the dishes were washed faster, but after several hours, everything was finished and Fuu presented her work to the cook.

"So…?" she asked, a bit anxious at the idea of having her plain domestic cooking judged by a chef who had served such excellent dishes for everyone at lunch, "It’s a Birthday Chocolate Cake!"

_That's the type of cake I am often cooking in the real world for my family or my friends… the only one I know by heart without needing the recipe book, because it’s Clow’s and Mom’s favourite, heehee…_

"Hum…" Sanji paused while considering the cake.

"I… I am sorry if the covering looks a bit weird, but I think the taste should be fine…" Fuu said, before adding with a melancholic smile, "Or course, it's the type of cakes that is more enjoyable when we eat it with several people, but…"

BADABAM. Chopper, Usopp and Luffy just crashed on the floor inside the kitchen, the door having given up under their weight.

SHIN. Fuu blinked a couple of time, dumbfounded, while Sanji heaved a deep sigh, already used to his three nakamas spying on the kitchen.

"Shishishi, sorry…! It's just that it smelled so good!" Luffy said, eyeing the huge cake with sparkling eyes.

"Hey, this time it's Fuu-chan who cooked something, so don't throw yourself on the cake like badly-bred pigs and ask her authorization!" Sanji lectured them.

_So funny: they look like a housewife lecturing a band of spoiled brats… Hihihi…_

"Hihihi!" Fuu laughed, "It’s fine, it’s fine, if you go and call everyone in, we can share this cake together!"

_In the end, it's not that disagreeable to be on this ship with everyone… it feels like being a guest in a weird but friendly family on a field-trip…_

"OKAY!" replied the three spies, before running out of the kitchen to go and call everyone.

After the cake, the afternoon passed by without any significant event, and Fuu even managed to save some of her food from Luffy’s elastic attacks during dinner.

The sun set and everyone went back to their cabins, leaving Sanji and his new helper finishing the dishes.

And when finally leaving the kitchen, Fuu stopped mid-way on the deck.

Leaning on the wooden railing, she looked up to the sky saturated with stars, stars and constellations she couldn't recognize…

_If I fall asleep in this world, will I wake up at home…? Humph… not so easy, I guess… How long am I supposed to stay here…?_

TCHING. TCHING.

_Huh…? …metallic… sounds?_

Curious, Fuu followed the sound of clashing metal and ended up face to face with Zoro, who was training his Santoryu techniques on the upper deck.

_Oops… I should run away before he sees me… I wouldn't like it if he were to take me as a target again…_

But Zoro's eyes met hers, ruining her escape plan and sending cold sweats down Fuu’s spin.

"What are you doing here?" Zoro asked, suspicious, while taking his third katana out of his mouth.

"So… sorry, I just heard the sound of your swords and I came to see what it could be…" Fuu answered, torn between embarrassment and fear, "You… you're really impressive! Your attacks are very powerful but still, your movements are really fluid…"

_Nothing to compare with me at fencing or kendo, who is only good at defending… Even my teachers gave up on me, sigh…_

"I don't know who you really are, but I don't trust you! If you are here to spy on my techniques, get lost!" Zoro said, resuming his training with only two swords now, "Also, you're weak: I don't care about the compliment of an amateur!"

TILT. The statement made Fuu quite pissed, even if she knew he was right, and a vein started bopping on her temple.

"Oh, my apologies, great swordsman! Please keep on doing your best on your training!" Fuu icily cheered, turning around to leave.

_What the…?! Really, I might be weak, but I can still make the difference between a good and a bad fighter! And he does not need to act all high and mighty, especially when his attacks are so good but his defence apparently so bad! Grr… I’m sure his teachers would scold him for leaving such openings!!! Even I can see it! Or is it that he doesn’t care about being hurt?! Shounen manga characters are just reckless and stupid!!!_

"Are you sure? If we discover you are indeed a spy or a traitor, I won't hesitate a second to get rid of you… You sure you want to cheer on your enemy in getting stronger?" Zoro asked with a mighty smile.

SNAP. Fuu’s steps had stopped, a small outburst of pride detaining her.

"Oh…?" she tilted, turning around to face Zoro, really on the nerves now, especially about the ‘spy’ part as she was respecting ‘trust’ and ‘honesty’ as some of her most important values.

Fuu moved on slowly towards him, her cheeks all puffed in a sulking expression, and Zoro arched an eyebrow while slowly lowering his garde, a bit perplexed on her intentions.

A couple of steps left between them: five, three… Fuu was still walking towards him.

Two steps left…

And Fuu dived swiftly under the swords of Zoro, before suddenly reappearing nearly pressed against his chest, inside the perimeter of his arms.

Zoro’s eyes slowly fell on the one smaller than him but who had managed to enter his vital space.

"Wh…?!" Zoro coughed, stupefied.

"You were taught that as a swordsman, your arms define a perimeter. And you know, within this perimeter, even someone as weak as me can touch you without risk…" Fuu said with a frosty tone, "So if I was an enemy, then…"

Still looking at Zoro right into his eyes, Fuu slowly spread her arm and curl it up around his neck.

Zoro froze.

"BAM… Your loss!" Fuu said with a mixture of sulking anger, pretending to stab Zoro's back neck with her balled-up hand, “If I had been an enemy, that is…”

Zoro’s face flushed and he clenched his teeth, inwardly cursing himself for leaving openings apparent enough for someone like that hazelnut-haired girl to touch him.

"Your attacks are truly powerful but your garde leaves much to be desired…" Fuu ranted while escaping Zoro's arms.

_Even if I’m weak, it doesn’t mean I like anyone to just throw the critique to my face…_ she sulked while leaving the deck, _And if you’re a swordsman great enough for my brother to admire you, at least show some concern for your own garde!!! Even as a manga character, life is not something you have in endless quantity, grr…_

"What the… Th… that girl!" Zoro grumbled once she had left, his face still red, before glancing at his katanas with a new resolve.

Later in the night, after having chat with Nami and Robin about her outfit and what the two pirates could lend her for the next days, Fuu went to bed quietly, but didn’t manage to fall asleep.

She stared at the ceiling absent-mindedly, and finally left soundlessly the girls’ cabin to go and wander once more on the deck, gazing at the stars being a relief for her melancholic heart.

_I kind of expected it… Impossible to sleep! I really do not feel a bit sleepy… I guess time is not passing at the same speed in this world than in the real one… maybe… Or maybe it’s just stress…_

_Well, regardless of the reason, I guess it's better to be at the fresh air than lying awake in my bed…_

"Oy, Fuu!" called a distant voice.

"Huh…?! Who…?" Fuu asked, looking right and left for the person who had called her.

"Shishishi!" laughed the voice.

And suddenly, two arms in stretched gum seized Fuu by her waist and lift her up in the air really fast, before putting her down on the floor of the lookout.

"LUFFY! Do you want to kill me?" Fuu shouted, still in shock, when realising who was the culprit of such an adrenaline-charged trip.

She stumbled back on her fee and looked around: a yellow and red curved floor, a close-by flagpole…

"Hey…? It's the… lookout…? The roof of the lookout?!” Fuu panicked while her knees were failing her, making her crawl nervously on the floor, “Nooo!!!”

_Don’t look around, don’t look around… Don’t look down either… The floor, the floor!!! Focus on the tangible floor under you… don’t move, don’t…_

“Wh… why is it the lookout?!" Fuu sobbed when finally daring to raise her head towards the happy-go-lucky teenage boy who had catapulted her so high on the main mast, “I… I am afraid of heights…”

"Oh, you're a scaredy-cat? Shishishi, I'm sorry!" Luffy said, before considering the piece of information, "Hum, you’re afraid because you're a girl?"

"No, I don't think it's correlated!" Fuu answered while swallowing back the feminist part of her who wanted to punch the pirate captain for such a _stupid sexist_ question.

_After all, my stupid brother is also afraid of heights… and I know many other guys who are afraid too._

"But on the other hand,” she retorted with a lecturing tone, “A guy shouldn't grab a girl like that to catapult her somewhere! A bit of delicacy, for God's sake!"

"Hum… You think so?" Luffy asked, quite bewildered, while tilting his head on the side at remembering Nami had sometimes punched him hard about a similar topic.

"Of course…! Luffy, you're dating Nami, aren’t you? You're supposed to know things like that… I mean, you care about your girlfriend, right?" Fuu said, puzzled by Luffy lack of sensibility.

"I've never catapulted Nami in the lookout!" Luffy answered quite confidently, “Every time, we haul there together!”

SHIN. Fuu blinked a couple of time, completely bewildered.

_Should I rejoice or feel worried? Well, it's true that One Piece is a Shounen manga: I can't really expect him to be romantic and considerate, so a princess-hold-elastic-catapult is not half that bad, but still…_

"Luffy, what do you think that girls like?" Fuu asked with a determined look.

"Why? Is it different from guys…?" Luffy answered, baffled.

"Of course it's different! And what we like from the man we love is also different…" Fuu sighed, a drop of weariness appearing on her temple, "Hum… Luffy… Do you want me to give you some advice to understand girls better?"

Luffy nodded fervently, with a serious look on his face.

_Well, I guess it's time to use all my knowledge in Shoujo love stories to play Doctor Love… Let's put a bit of romance and delicacy in this Shounen manga! Besides, Luffy seems so serious, that's a bit funny so see him like this, suddenly…_

"Okay, so, for a girl, what makes her feel special, it's…" Fuu started with an amused smile.

And Fuu spent the rest of the night giving Shoujo mangas advice in the lookout, Luffy avidly listening to every anecdote, nodding fervently his head and asking tons of questions – to which Fuu was sweat-dropping at least one time out of two.

It was only when his immediate curiosity was satisfied, and with Fuu's promise to continue the lesson the next evening that Luffy accepted to bring Fuu back on the deck, to the utter relief of the latter who was still queasy because of the altitude.

* * *

**GRAND LINE, THOUSAND SUNNY**

Days and nights were succeeding each other, and Fuu slowly got used to the idea that she wasn't going back home anytime soon. Therefore, she was trying her best to get used to the life on board and not get in anyone’s way, with a warm smile and an unlimited energy, at least in public…

The largest part of her time was spent in the kitchen, between washing dishes and helping out to bake pastries, thus making Sanji overly rejoiced.

The rest of it was spent on advising Robin on some ancient languages translation, or as an errand girl between the infirmary and the warehouse, helping Chopper carrying boxes and medicine flasks.

Not a day was spent without having to dodge and run away from Zoro's unexpected and undesired attacks, the swordsman officially wanting to improve his garde, and unofficially wanting to take his revenge, while Fuu was bitterly regretting not to have explained him that a one-time lucky hit when his garde was down didn’t mean she was at the level of being his sparring partner.

Evenings were usually shared between listening to Usopp fantasizing stories about the Great Sogeking, and telling in turn Shoujo stories to a very attentive Luffy, with the surprise of seeing him try her advice the very next day… and forgetting it the day after.

_Hihihi, my brother is going to kill me if I change Luffy into a Shoujo manga hero, but serves him right! After all, Nami seems happy about it, once the surprise is overcome… The only problem is Sanji: he seems quite heart-broken… I guess a feminist like him doesn’t like the have his knight role being taken away, hihihi…_

Days passed by without anything new happening, no island or thrilling adventure on view, no news from the _stupid author_ either, and Fuu was starting to wither, spending more and more hours watching the sky, helpless, and looking more and more often at the calendar with a depressed look…

"Sigh…" Fuu whispered, when leaning on the railing, the afternoon of the ninth day since she had arrived.

At some distance from Fuu, the rest of the crew was looking at her with concerned looks.

"Nami, you don't think Fuu looks sick?" Chopper asked, "I examined her several times and didn't find anything, but… she seems to have no energy."

"Hum… I know what you mean: she seems depressed these days but I don't know why..." Nami answered, puzzled.

"Yeah, it’s weird…! She didn't even run away when she saw me today…" Zoro nodded.

"Hum, if even our suuper swordsman is worried, it must be serious…" Franky commented.

"I am NOT worried!" Zoro shouted, before kicking a barrel nearby with a sulking expression.

"Hey, everyone!" Luffy called, running to them, "I found out what to do!"

And everyone rounded up around their captain, who seemed quite enthusiastic.

“Listen!” he said while exposing his plan, "Whispers whispers… So we are going to do that, …whispers whispers… And it needs to be ready for tomorrow!"

"YOSH!" everyone answered, very motivated.

The day after that, mid-morning, Fuu was going to the kitchen to help out Sanji as usual, but met Nami, Luffy and Robin in front of the door.

_Huh? What's happening?_

"Sanji doesn’t want me to enter the kitchen?" Fuu mumbled, after Robin had explained her the reason of their presence in front of the door.

"Yeah! I am sure it's to protect the food!" Luffy grinned, "But you must come later to meet up with everyone!".

BONG. Nami just punched her captain on the head, with a resigned expression.

"Oh… I see… Hum, I don't remember eating as much as you do, Luffy…" Fuu answered, forcing a smile, "But… See you all later, I guess…"

Fuu left the corridor and went alone to lean on the railing, like each time she was feeling blue.

_They don’t want me in, huh… I guess they are all pissed off with me, by now…_

Fuu glanced back to see the rest of the crew avoiding her eyes and leaving the deck with embarrassed faces.

_I promised them I will do my best to go back home as soon as possible, but it's been more than one week that I am freeloading on this ship, now… This idiot of a brother didn't send me any sign and no adventure on view… I am sure this useless author is lazily taking a break from writing his fics… Meaning that I have no way to know until when I will be stuck here!_

_Sigh… If, at least, I could be useful here… but no, he must have sent me in this world without a single practical power or skill… I don't know, some weapon, some power, something! It's now that inventing a new Devil Fruit would have been useful, stupid brother! Even when you will finally decide to make them start their adventure, I won't be able to do anything for them! Nothing!!! I will be totally useless whilst they were so nice to me, although they ignore from where I am coming from, although they ignore I criticized them so much in the real world…_

_Sob… that's so frustrating! I was mistaken so much! Sob, sob… I really despise myself, right now, so at least do something: if you're not bringing me back home, at least do something so that I won't be a hassle here! DO SOMETHING, YOU STUPID!_

Fuu heard the steps of someone coming near and quickly dried her tears before facing the person who had come and see her.

"It's lunch time." Robin informed with a neutral tone.

"Okay… Thanks, Robin." Fuu said while forcing her usual smile on her lips, "I'm coming!"

BAM. Zoro landed on the deck at a mere metre from Fuu, after having jumped from the lookout.

"Well, this Ero-Cook can be useful, sometimes…" Zoro said with a slight smile.

_Hum… He's preparing everyone's food every day, you know! He is VERY useful, you mean? On the contrary, I… No no no! I need to stop thinking about it!_ Fuu thought, shaking her head from left to right and slapping her both cheeks to chase the melancholy away.

"So, are we going?" asked Robin and Zoro, turning back to call on to Fuu.

"Coming!" she shouted, running after them.

In the kitchen, the silence was heavy.

Everyone was there, which was uncommon since there was always someone on guard duty in the lookout.

_I guess my assumption was correct: they seem to have something to tell me… Must be something like 'Get out of our ship', or 'You're really suspicious, where are you coming from?'…_

_Well… okay, I must calm down! I was kind of expecting it, so I shouldn't feel hurt… I mustn't feel hurt…_

"Fuu, we've got something we all want to tell you! I took some time to get everyone in, but now, we are ready" Luffy said, “Sit down, sit down…”

_Ouch, it's coming…_ Fuu thought while taking a seat and breathing deeply to keep countenance.

The Mugiwara crew was now looking at each other with crooked smiles, and suddenly PAN PAN PAN.

"Happy Birthday!" shouted everyone.

SHIN. The confetti from the crackers in their hands fell silently on the floor, under the dumbfounded expression of Fuu.

_Wh… what…?_

"Here!" smiled Robin and Nami, presenting Fuu a small gift box, "We all worked hard on it: it's our birthday present from us all to you!"

"Th… thank you!" Fuu said absentmindedly, still in shock, opening mechanically the box while her mind was rushing to try to find a logical explanation to what was happening.

_What's happening? What the… What the hell is happening? Come on, think, think, think hard! Mayday, Mayday, Houston, we've got a problem! A totally unexpected problem!_

"So…? What do you think?" asked everyone with eyes full of expectations, "What do you think about it? We all did our best to create each a part of it!"

Everyone was now near Fuu, looking at her opening the little gift box.

Sanji was putting a huge raspberry cake on the table, while Franky and Usopp were distributing new crackers to the spectators in the circle.

Everyone was grinning and laughing, except one hazelnut-haired girl who was still unable to determine how to react.

_Waaaaaaahhhhhh! What I am supposed to…???_

But Fuu stopped thinking when she finally opened the present.

GLING. A cute little bracelet of braided leather landed gracefully between her hands. Interwoven in the lacings of leather, five small pendants were sparkling under the light.

Fuu took them one by one between her fingers to admire them, full of apprehension.

_A rune in orichalque, with mysterious yet southing reflects…_

"I am sure you will make good use of it: it's a Poneglyph of protection. It's from Ohara, ma native island." Robin smiled.

_A tiny blossom of tangerine, strangely frozen in time…_

"I helped Nami to create this one! It's no use trying to say it's an amazing process, that kind of compliment doesn’t make me happy at all!" Chopper proudly said, with a dancing tone that contradicted what he just said.

"The flower will stay like this forever!" Nami said with a friendly smile.

_A finely crafted bullet, like a chiseled birdcage, with a shining pearl nested in its center…_

"Wonderful, isn't it? This craftsmanship comes from the Great Sogeking, and…" Usopp began, scratching his nose with pride.

"Hum hum…" Franky coughed to interrupt Usopp's monologue, "Let's say it's an association of the skills of Sogeking and Super Franky."

_A small flame-shaped sculpture of black wood, partially lacquered with silvery white gloss…_

"Fuu-chwan, this flame represents the ardent fire of my love! Ah, the pureness of this white gloss that redolent the noble heart of a maiden…" Sanji twirled, his eyes in heart-shape.

"Shut up, Ero-Cook! You're not even able to carve a piece of wood, so don't get cocky!" Zoro cut with a moody tone.

"You… The both of you COOPERATED to make this?" Fuu asked, awestruck.

"Yes, seems crazy, right? To think that these two would agree to work on something together…" Nami giggled.

"A suuper miracle!" Franky nodded, his arms crossed on his chest.

"Well, it was for Fuu, so I am sure they…" Usopp began.

"SHUT UP!" shouted Zoro and Sanji in the same breath.

And Usopp hid behind a chair while the two rivals were now glaring at each other, as usual.

"YOU! Do you want to settle this right now?" groaned the two of them between starting fighting, under the weary look of everyone else.

Fuu made the last pendant shine in the light of the kitchen: a lucky charm, like a Chinese knot, made of straw.

_Straw…? No way, it must come from somewhere else… Luffy values his straw-hat too much to…_

"Rather cool, hum?" Luffy asked with a wide smile, "You said that girls like jewels, and that they like handmade stuff created only for them. So? Our birthday present is great, isn't it?"

_So it wasn't that they hated me, in the end…? What an idiot I am… How could I ever doubt them…?_

Fuu stared at everyone, deeply moved, and tears started building up in her eyes.

"Waah! Why are you crying?" Luffy panicked, "Hey, Sanji, stop fighting and come and help me: I made a girl cry!"

"No… It's not… It's just… I am so happy!" Fuu muttered, her smile drown under her tears, "Just… so happy!"

Everyone sighed of relief and looked at Fuu with caring eyes and friendly smiles.

"Phew!" Luffy sighed of relief, "Well, you know, we are really sorry for having forgotten your birthday, that's why! It was our fault for not noticing, sorry!"

"My… birthday?" Fuu interrupted, stopping her tears and finally remembering the mess from before, "What are you talking about?"

"Well, we didn't know why you were depressing so we hold a meeting, and Sanji said you had a melancholic look on your face when you baked this Birthday Cake, and then, Chopper said that you were staring at the calendar with a pitiful expression each time you walked into the infirmary, and then Luffy told us…" Nami said, "Told us… no… wait… don't tell me…"

"Ye… yes… It's not my…" Fuu answered, deeply embarrassed.

CRASH. Everyone except Luffy and Fuu crashed on the floor.

"LUFFY!" shouted his nakamas, seizing their captain, "What's with this?! What's with this mess?! You told us you knew for sure! You didn't know anything, in reality!!! You just got cocky!"

"Aah… It's not my fault if I made a mistake…" Luffy protested, sneaking out of the rabble.

"Of course it DOES is YOUR fault, stupid!" shouted the others, showing off their teeth.

"Hi… Hihihi… Hi hi hi hi hi!" Fuu laughed, letting go of all the pressure.

The rabble calmed down under the light laugh of Fuu and everyone stared at each other in disbelief.

"So… Sorry, it's not… it's just…" Fuu explained, trying very hard to stop laughing, "It's just that…"

Fuu stared at the bracelet that she had fastened on her right wrist, and a pure and radiant smile enlightened her face.

"Thank you! Everyone worked so hard… Thank you from the bottom of my heart!" Fuu said, looking tenderly at all the people around her.

All the crew looked at each other, quite embarrassed by such an innocent thanks.

"Well, if it's not for your birthday, let's just say it's your welcome gift… a bit late!" Luffy grinned, "Welcome on the Thousand Sunny! We have a new nakama!!!"

_Everyone…?_ Fuu though with a gaze for all the rounded-up Mugiwaras who were nodding to their captain’s declaration, with mixed cheers but a common smile.

"I… I will do my best!" Fuu answered with a wide smile.

The kitchen stayed silent for a few seconds but everyone could feel the warmth of the smile shared, and the bonds between nakamas which were strengthening.

"… So… Sanji, can we eat now?" Luffy finally interrupted, rising a sulking face to the cook.

CRASH. The rest of the crew had fallen back on the floor.

"Luffy…" muttered the others, world-weary.

"What?" Luffy asked, his mouth already full of food.

"Seriously, Luffy…" Sanji groaned, scratching his head.

"That's our Senchou for us." Robin said.

"He's always like this!" Chopper nodded.

"Humph…" Zoro half-smiled.

"No, but really…" Nami sighed.

"Well, we are used to it!" Usopp said.

"So let's just follow him…" Franky advised, sitting at the table.

"Yep!" Fuu smiled, joining everyone for the meal.

Sanji had really made things in big, and the quantity of dishes on the table was sufficient to occupy Luffy and the others for a moment.

In the middle of the laughs and the flying food, Fuu was gazing at everyone with a faint smile, still touched by their welcome.

"It's really rare to see everyone together for lunch, but it's kind of nice! Thank you again!" Fuu said with a thank you smile for Luffy.

"It'ch becauje today ich speshial!" Luffy explained, between two mouthfuls.

"Generally, it's precisely when people soften their attention that they get attacked and die in terrible ways…" Robin said with her usual dark foretelling.

"Oy oy…” Nami sweat-dropped, before turning with a smile towards Fuu, “But since you arrived, it has never been that calm, you must be our lucky charm!"

"No kidding, it's TOO calm! We'll get rusty if it keeps going on…" Zoro sighed.

"Hey, that bring bad luck what you just…" Usopp began.

B.OOO.OOO.OOM.MMM.MMM.MMM!!!

The Thousand Sunny started trembling…

Everyone was destabilized and fell on the floor. The table got overthrown and the dishes all smashed on the floor in a rumble of broken plates.

BOM! BOM! The sound of cannons kept resonating outside the kitchen.

"NO!" Luffy shouted, really angry at seeing the waste of food, "I hadn't finished eating! I don't know who's the culprit, but they‘re going to pay for that!"

And the Mugiwaras dashed out of the kitchen, ready to battle.

Fuu barely had time to see them readying their weapons, before being left alone in the devastated kitchen.

Completely panicked, she stumbled back on her feet and progressed towards the door, paining to stay on her legs as the Sunny was shaken by more explosions nearby.

_Oh, come on! I know I am weak but come on! Hurry up! There must be something I can help them with… I want to help them! So come on, my legs, bring me there…_

Fuu finally reached the corridor running in front of the kitchen and fell, hurting herself on the balcony railing. Clenching onto the railing and fighting hard to keep her balance, she looked under her at the main deck. The Marine had boarded the Thousand Sunny and that Luffy and his crew had since long started their fight against the Marine Commanders.

_Ouch! These ones look like bosses! Eh? Could it be that my idiot of a brother finally started his fic? Oy, stop… Now is not the time to be rejoicing about that! What am I thinking while everyone is in trouble… and in serious trouble, it seems…_

Half-crawling to reach the stairs leading to the deck, Fuu was inwardly trying to get an idea of the situation.

B.OOO.OOO.OOM.MMM.MMM.MMM!!! Another salvo of cannons shook the Sunny, making Fuu fall in the stairs.

Her nails dug on the railing of the stairs, half-collapsed on the steps, she forced herself not to think about hiding or running away and looked at the different battled raging under her.

Zoro was losing ground against one of these Commandants. Luffy, him, looked like he was winning, but the other fighters seemed to have found adversary at their level: Chopper was on the other side of the deck, changing form to find one easy to fight with, Robin was crouching several Marines at the time, Sanji and Franky had taken a Lieutenant each and were fighting on equal terms, Usopp was snipping from a distance the guns of the Marines on the other ships, and Nami was literally thundering several soldiers with her ClimaTact.

_Yosh, once Luffy has finished with his adversary, he can go and help out the other ones: they should be fine… So, what can I do to help?_

Fuu was looking left and right, looking for something useful to do, picking a random stick or sword nearby before realising that her hands were shaking and that it probably wouldn’t be very efficient for her to fight like that.

As she was looking for another way to be useful, she suddenly noticed that the Commandant that was fighting against Luffy – and who had been projected far away from Luffy with a Jet Bazooka – had landed right behind Nami, and was now staring at her viciously as he was getting back on his feet.

"NAMI! BE CAREFUL! BEHIND…" Fuu shouted.

But Nami didn't hear the warning. Fuu didn't hear herself pronounce it either, because a violent hit on her neck had made her unconscious.

* * *

_The… the smell of burnt wood… Ouch… What happened?_

Fuu blinked her eyes open and looked around her with a still quivering gaze.

_Where is everyone? Is everyone safe? Ah, ouch… Hey? My hands are tied up?_

Despite her hands tied up in her back by a thin rope, her legs were free, so Fuu pushed herself up in a sitting position and scanned her surroundings.

Chopper and Robin were lying unconscious at a few meters from her, Kairoseki handcuffs around their wrists. Usopp was also tied up a bit farther, while Franky and Sanji were in the same position at the other end of the deck, but immobilized by heavy chains.

_No way?! Everyone was captured? Wh… when? What happened…?! And what's up with these heavy chains?! Humph, I guess even the enemy does not believe me dangerous enough to deserve something more solid than a thin rope…_

Fuu tried to shake off her arms but the rope was only sizzling deeper in her wrists.

_Well, I unfortunately have to give them reason: that's more than enough to hinder the weak me, sigh... Hey? What about Luffy? And Zoro, and Nami?_

Fuu was now searching desperately the deck, looking for the three nakamas… And then, she saw them!

Zoro had one knee on the floor, panting heavily, his head and his chest bleeding, completely defenseless, while the Marine Commander was looking down on him, juggling with Zoro's three katanas. But what was the most terrifying was to see Luffy, the body covered by bruises, circled by three Lieutenants, watching helplessly as the main Commander was pressing his sword near Nami’s throat, using her as a shield and hostage, her ClimaTact on the floor several meters away…

_That's dirty!!!_

"Mugiwara's crew captured!" That was the title that everyone will be able to read tomorrow in the newspapers! There was no breathing space for our heroes, trapped by the unfair tactics of the two Marine Commanders: their best fighters were hindered by heavy chains; toyed around and on the brink of collapsing; or beaten up without any riposte possible by fear of seeing the person they loved hurt… Could it be the end?

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

_Hey! That sounded like the end of a chapter, that… Don't tell me… Don't tell me my idiot of a brother has gone to bed, letting the story unfinished? HEY! You've got to be kidding me!!!_

Fuu had lifted her head up and was staring at the sky, powerlessly but quite angry.

_Hey, you can't just stop writing now! Your chapter might be finished but the story is not paused here… Seriously!_

Fuu was watching with a dark look at the Marines going on and forth on the deck, inspecting the ship. The Commander was still looking down on Zoro, and Luffy was still getting beat up by the three Lieutenants around him, clenching his fists and teeth, looking helplessly at Nami, who was crying and screaming his name, trying to break free from the other Commander’s catch, but her arm was already on the verge of breaking.

_Why isn't the story in pause…? Wh… why? How come it doesn’t happen like in a manga or anime… WHY?!_

Wind flew on the Thousand Sunny deck, bringing the smell of burning to Fuu’s nose and a bitter taste to her mouth.

_Could it be… could it be that my presence here forbids it? Can it be that a real person's time can't be put in pause? Is that it? Is it that their story is messed up because of ME? They’re enduring all of this until the ‘next chapter’ because of me…?_

"Wh…what can I do… It's my fault… What can I…?" Fuu started to cry, trembling of frustration and not even realizing she was speaking out loud.

Two Marines passed nearby without a single look for her.

_Humph! Well, I know I am not dangerous but still…_

_Ah, seems like I calmed down a bit… Damn it! This dirty coward taking Nami in hostage, I really want to do something but what? Think, think hard! Think about something, stupid me! What can I do… Something that would help them: something useful like a distraction, or getting back their weapon, I don't know… Something…_

_Hum, I wonder if I can die in this world… Hey, that's not the time to think about that! Well, first, getting rid of this rope. After all, it's their fault for not watching me!_

Fuu rolled on her back, passing her feet inside the loop of her arms, and she started chewing hard the rope around her wrists to untie it. And indeed, not a single Marine seemed to care about her little acrobatic.

"Gnnn… That's way more difficult to cut than in mangas… Gnnn!" Fuu muttered to herself, still chewing the rope.

_Seriously, what is my brother doing at such a critical time? Normally, in mangas, that's the kind of timing where a hero appears, beats up the bad guys with wonderful techniques, protects the damsel in distress, says one or two sentences really really cool, and saves the day! Really, what is he doing?_

One of the Lieutenants who were beating up Luffy then came to speak to the Commander that was holding Nami hostage.

"What are we supposed to do, boss? He refuses to collapse but he's not fighting back… It's really difficult to believe that he’s the infamous Mugiwara no Luffy…" reported the Lieutenant.

"Humph! You just have to take his navigator in hostage and he's not worth anything anymore! In the end, he's just a brat with an elastic body and no guts!" despised the Commander.

_TILT!_

"And this girl doesn't even fight back! She only knows how to move her magic wand, I wonder how she managed to get a bounty on her head!" laughed the Commander.

_TILT!_

"Humph… This crew is infamous but it's just a bunch of good-for-nothing. There are two girls we didn't have much trouble to make faint, a strange plush-toy completely useless and a guy who is awfully weak at close quarters combat…" enumerated the Commander with a quick glance for the prisoners.

_TILT…TILT…TILT !_

"This stupid guy was so worried about the ‘damsels’ that we had no trouble to overcome him, and the scrap-heap guy followed quickly… Then we just have to focus everyone on Roronoa by attacking him in his back… He doesn't deserve to be called a warrior, being that weak…" laughed the Commander with a victorious expression, "Well, in any case, with such a lousy captain, of course the rest of the crew is pathetic! It’s really going to be an easy promotion for all of us!"

_TILT…TILT…TILT …TILT…TILT !_

The silence abruptly fell on the deck on the Thousand Sunny, like a thumping strike, as if a frosty air mass was spreading on the floor…

Everyone, Marines and pirates, were worryingly looking around, searching for the reason of this sudden changing of atmosphere and…

"Boss…" muttered the Lieutenant, turning back, "Th… the girl…"

Commonly speaking, the girl – Fuu – had cracked up, meaning the fuse of anger had broken lose…

Her hands still tied up in front of her, she was now standing up, her eyes pitch dark, her fury tangible in the air around her, and she was walking, slowly but certainly, in direction of the Commander.

"Wh… what is she doing?" muttered the Commander, dumbfounded.

Fuu was still going forward, at slow steps, as if they were charged with murderous intents.

The rest of the Marines, Zoro, Luffy, Sanji, Franky… all were staring at Fuu, their eyes full of apprehension. Still in silence, her eyes shining with a rage directed towards the Marine, Fuu was now sufficiently close from the Commander and the Marine for them to feel the frosty air that surrounded her, like an aura of hatred extremely dense.

Even Nami, who perfectly knew that Fuu didn't have any fighting power, couldn't help shivering as shw was seeing her come closer.

Fuu looked up and her eyes met the ones of the Commander, who instinctively froze.

_Imp… Impossible… It's the same girl as before… It's the same… the one who couldn't even dodge one knife-hand strike and fainted… She… she doesn’t even have a bounty on her head… Wh… what does… what can she… She… can't…_ the Commander thought, cold sweats running down his chin.

Her eyes dark of anger still pinned on the Commander, Fuu slowly raised her hands above her head. The Marine, stupefied, couldn't even dodge the two hands that fell on his sword – which was still placed in front of Nami’s throat.

The edge of his blade, sharp like a razor, cut off the rope hindering Fuu's hands, splashing around the blood from where she scratched herself.

"Wh…" gasped the Commandant, paralyzed by the surprise.

Loosening unconsciously his grip on Nami, the reaction of the Marine was too slow by a few seconds…

Second one: Fuu seized his sword full-handily, ripping him off of his weapon, and sending it flying on the floor at Zoro's feet.

Second two: her eyes still pinned on the Commandant as a dark and hateful spell, Fuu seized Nami by her wrist and pushed her towards the ClimaTact while she was snatching the keychain from the belt of the Commander.

Second three: the ClimaTact, hold by Nami, sent the soldiers guarding her nakamas flying backwards with some Thunder Balls, while Fuu was running towards them to free everyone from their chains and handcuffs.

In these three seconds, no one had yet awakened from their stupor, be it on the Marine or the pirate side, when suddenly…

"LUFFY! What are you waiting for? Show them what they reap for having taken in hostage your navigator! ZORO! If you're a swordsman, you pick up this blade and show to this naughty bastard what is a real swordsman made of! SANJI! Women hate weaklings so what are waiting for proving yourself to us!" Fuu shouted in an uncommonly loud and angry tone.

In one instant, as if pushing the switch on, the paralyzing spell broke, and the fights busted out!

The Commander, now awake and in a mad rage, had pulled out a second sword and was walking towards Fuu and her friends with a deathly glare.

_Ugh… It's going to be rough on me… I hope I can’t die in this world… though it’s probably going to hurt…_

"Mirage Tempo!" Nami shouted, creating several Fuus in deformed shapes around her nakama and confusing the Marine Commander.

"Nami!" Fuu exclaimed with relief while turning back to smile at her.

"Hey… No way I'm letting this bastard get back at you! And I can't just let you win all the merit of this fight…" Nami smiled, before adding, "Besides, it's not like you can defend yourself alone, right?"

_That's a polite way of saying I am weak and useless, right?_ Fuu sighed with a depressed expression.

Distracted by the mirages, the Commander hadn't seen Luffy charging him with eyes full of anger but soon faced all his anger.

Respecting to the Lieutenants, they were so surprised by the twist of the situation that they hadn't see Robin and Chopper awaking when Fuu had shouted, and only came to realise when Robin caged them under an army of arms, before Chopper could feed them with special-made soporific pills of his invention that made them collapse in less than two seconds.

Meanwhile, Usopp and Franky were literally clearing the way out of the basic Marines soldiers. And Sanji, as surprising as it may seem, was working together with Zoro to give his pay back to the Commander who had been despising him some minutes ago.

_Wow… As expected from everyone: their fighting techniques are really impressive! Looks like it won't be long before the battle ends…_

Indeed, in less than twenty minutes, the battle ended up with the Mugiwaras' victory, the deck of the Thousand Sunny was cleaned of every Marine trace, their ship had been sent to the depths of Grand Line and the escapees were swimming away with scared faces.

Chopper was now running around the team to heal everyone.

"Nami! Are you okay?" Luffy asked while carefully holding Nami by her shoulders, examining her from every angle to see if she wasn't hurt.

"I am fine! Just a bit frustrated for not having destroyed this bastard myself…" Nami answered, clenching her fist.

"So, Marimo… You fight at your best only when a young lady asks you to?" Sanji mocked while lighting on his cigarette.

"At least, I’m not part of the weaklings who got chained up…" Zoro mocked back on a challenging tone.

Electricity was charging the air, and everyone would have preferred to avoid an umpteenth fight between Zoro and Sanji, at least for now…

"Hum… I sincerely apologize for having said all these mean things to you…" Fuu began, feeling guilty about having put oil on the fire with her previous comment, "I am REALLY sorry, so could you just, for this ONE time, not fight? Please…?"

SHIN. Zoro and Sanji immediately stopped their fight, as if they had realized something important, and simultaneously turned their head to stare at Fuu.

"Now that you remind me of it…" said the two of them, drawing close to Fuu's face.

"Wh… what?" Fuu asked, stepping back a bit and feeling uneasy.

"That's true, Fuu, during the fight…" exposed everyone with a strange look on their face, while slowly gathering around her.

_Waaah! Wh… what do they want… Scary… Scary, SCARY!!!_

"I'm sorry! I couldn’t help at all and even ranted at you, I really reflect onto it…" Fuu implored, raising her arms in front of her, as if trying to protect herself from everyone’s stare, "It’s just… sorry, I don't have any fighting technique, or anything, I’m really sorry… Sorry for being such a useless spectator…"

SHIN. Fuu’s comment got welcomed by silence.

_Huh? Nothing is coming? Why…_

Fuu prudently lowered her arms, and gazed at everyone.

The Mugiwaras were all – with varying intensity but the same intent – smiling widely at her.

"What are you talking about?" Nami laughed, gently placing her hand on Fuu's arms, "You were really great!"

"Yeah, nearly as wonderful as the Great Sogeking!" Usopp added, patting Fuu's shoulder with a proud air.

"And that’s supposed to be a compliment?!" Franky laughed, ruffling Fuu's hair under his large hand, "Seriously, you were suuper! Super enough to make me shiver…"

"Humph… For a non-swordsman, your fighting spirit wasn't that bad!" Zoro said, close enough to Fuu to brush his shoulder against hers, but looking elsewhere with a slight blush.

"Hey, Seaweed-Head, I remind you she was the one to give you a sword…" Sanji sneered, before twirling around Fuu with heart-shaped eyes, "I personally found you breathtaking, Fuu-chwan!"

"Oh, and I remind YOU that she is the one who freed you from your chains, weakling!" Zoro riposted, a vein bopping furiously on his forehead, "And women hate weaklings!"

"I think we really need to settle this, Marimo!" Sanji groaned, before sending a flying kick that launched the fight between him and Zoro.

"Let these two fight… It's already rare enough for them to cooperate in a fight that they would need to reaffirm their rivalry afterwards…" Robin said, "I don't really know what you did, Fuu, but when I was unconscious, your voice reached me, thank you!"

"Yes, yes… What did you do when we were unconscious? It seems fantastic…" Chopper asked with sparkling eyes.

"Oh, if you could have seen that, Chopper…" Luffy said, very enthusiastic but with some selective memory, "She stood up, saved Nami, no wait, before she glared at that bastard, and then she saved Nami, no, no there is the moment when she ripped him off of his sword to save Nami… Well, in the end, that was very scary!"

_What is this idiot talking about? When he is furious, Luffy is far more scary…_ thought the rest of the crew.

"Ah, hum… It's not really… I just cracked up… a little!" Fuu whispered, deeply embarrassed.

"What?!" Chopper exclaimed, "Did you got hit on your head? I need to examine you… I hope it’s not too serious…"

"Oh, no… Don't worry, Chopper. That was because of what he said about you and…" Fuu began before realizing the embarrassing confession she was making and stopping her sentence in a deep blush.

"Huh… something he said?" Luffy asked, confused.

"Oh, what he said, huh…" remembered the others, grinning at Fuu.

"Hum…" Fuu blushed, extremely embarrassed.

"Hum, bah… Doesn't matter!" Luffy concluded, who didn't like to be puzzled for too long, "Oh, we need to finish what we began before the fight!"

_Before the fight?_

"Fuu, welcome as one of our nakamas!" Luffy said, holding out his hand to Fuu with a serious yet smiling expression.

"Welcome to our new nakama!" repeated le rest of the crew, in a smile, piling their hands under the one of their captain.

Deeply moved, Fuu gazed at all these hands and all these smiles, all these people who were calling her their nakama.

_If it's them… I guess it’s not that bad to stay here a bit longer…_

_I guess I can keep on doing my best in this world before going back… because it's them! Hihihi… Who would have thought I would call them nakamas when I criticized them so harshly and so unfairly in the real world…_

_Well, it's true that at that time, I had exaggerated my critique only to shut the mouth of my brother but… Oh my! How am I going to hide to this idiot of a brother that he was right? They really deserve far better than all I had said about them… They deserve to be followed to the ends of Earth!_

Fuu hold out her hand, a radiant smile on her face.

"Please take care of me from now on!" she said while putting her hand on the circle of hands of her new nakamas.

FLASH. At the very moment Fuu's hand touched everyone's, a huge and bright flash happened.

"Hey, what was that?" asked everyone, surprised.

Fuu fell on her knees, her eyelids so heavy that she couldn't keep them open anymore.

"I guess… It's time… for me to go back home…" Fuu explained in a whisper.

"Hey, are you okay? What's happening?" Luffy shouted, panicking.

"It's fine… Don't worry…" Fuu smiled, already half asleep, "Thanks… again… and… let's meet… again!"

Fuu fell definitely asleep on the deck, hold by everyone and, in a thin cloud of stardust, she disappeared!

* * *

**REALITY**

_The… chirping of doves… The smell of pancakes… Ah, I need to go and help Sanji preparing breakfast… WHAT?!_

Fuu suddenly jumped awake, and looked around her.

A bedroom with pale walls, the sunlight percolating through the shutters, a large bed with blue sheets…

_I am back… I am back…?! I am back in the real world!!!_

Fuu jumped out of her bed and run down the stairs.

She entered the dining room, looking with delight to the wooden kitchen with walls colour of sunflowers, at her mother cooking pancakes, at her father grinding coffee, at her little brother sulking because he needed to take his breakfast on the table and not in front of the computer…

_How could I have forgotten what a happiness it is to have this scene every morning during holidays…!_

"Good morning!" Fuu grinned, full of energy.

"Good morning/Morning…" answered her nearly-complete family.

"Huh… And Clow?" Fuu asked, looking for her other brother.

"Behind you…" said a masculine voice.

Fuu turned back to look at her brother, who was crooking a smile.

"Did you sleep well? Had nice dreams?" Clow asked, mocking his sister in quite an obvious way.

_He knows!!! He definitely knows! Everything is HIS fault: I am going to slaughter him!!!_

_Well… Sigh… I suppose I can't kill him since I had fun, in the end… I am really going to miss them! My… nakamas…_

"So, do you wish to resume yesterday's conversation?" Clow offered with a triumphant smile at seeing that his sister was not talking back to him.

"For what purpose?" Fuu riposted, smiling back.

"Well, I guess… You've changed your opinion." Clow said, starting to doubt his own success.

"Oh, respecting to what?" Fuu asked innocently.

_I'd rather die than tell you that you were right… At least for today, sigh… because I will need to do justice to Luffy and the others afterwards…_

"You…" Clow began, while thinking: _Impossible, she's bluffing, she must be bluffing… The scenario was done so that she can't come back until she changed her mind on Luffy and the rest of the Mugiwaras. She shouldn't have been able to come back unless she truly desired to approve of them and follow their adventures… And she's back! So…_

Clow was staring at his sister happily eating pancakes.

_So…_ Clow thought, some cold sweat running down his neck.

"Is there something bothering you, Bro?" Fuu asked with a sparkling smile.

"No, nothing…" Clow muttered back, thinking: _Argh… Impossible to ask her directly! But you're not going to get away like this, grr…_

_Victory!_ Fuu thought, staring at the puzzled face of her brother.

"Oh, I forgot my slippers, I'm coming back!" Fuu suddenly realized, rushing back to her room.

GLING. A small leather bracelet tingled on Fuu's wrist as she run up the stairs.

_The bracelet: I kept it!!! Thanks God…_

Fuu gently caressed the lacings of leather, a melancholic smile enlightening her lips.

_Hum… I hope they are doing well, my precious… nakamas… No, if it's them, I am sure they are okay, as usual!_

* * *

**GRAND LINE, THOUSAND SUNNY**

"Hey Sanji! Give me something to eat, I'm starving!" Luffy shouted, entering the kitchen.

Sanji jumped and pressed too strongly the pastry bag he was holding, sending a splash of cream on the wall.

"Luffy! Don't startle me! I was doing the decorations of the cake!" Sanji reprimanded.

"Waah, it's pretty rare to see you baking cakes? Is it a special recipe?" Luffy asked, his hands slowly advancing towards the plate on which the cake was standing.

"Yep!" Sanji chuckled, "It's a recipe F.. likes a lot… Huh? F…? Who was it again…" Sanji wondered, puzzled.

"Thanks for the cake!" Luffy said, stealing the cake before running out of the kitchen.

"Argh?! The cake…!!!" Sanji exclaimed, looking powerlessly at the empty place where the cake should have been.

_Shishishi, I will bring some to Nami, since girls like sweet things!_ thought Luffy, _I really need to thank F.. for telling me all of these things…_

"Huh? What was I just thinking about?" Luffy muttered confused.

A bit farther, Nami was watering the mikan trees with a joyful smile.

"Hey Chopper, come and see! The mikan trees are doing way better!" she said.

"Yes, it's thanks to this trick with the straw that F.. explained us… Huh? Who was it?" Chopper answered, suddenly baffled.

"Oh, come on, of course it was F.. Huh? F.. It was… I can't remember…" Nami noticed, puzzled.

_Who was it again?_ thought Chopper and Nami, looking bewildered at the straw protecting the earth around the mikan trees trunks.

Meanwhile, in the study, Robin was working on her books and parchments.

_At least some free time to decipher these ancient texts… Since F.. explained me the meaning of some symbols, it's easier to understand so I can…_ Robin thought with a smile, _Wait a minute… Who? Who was I thinking about just now? It seems something is missing…_

In the workshop, Usopp was once again telling Franky stories about Sogeking while they were building and testing their works.

"Hey Franky, are you listening to me?" grumbled Usopp.

"Hum… yeah yeah, it's just I already heard these stories a lot… What about telling them to someone else?" Franky said.

"Ah, if only F.. was there, she would listen to me with passion!" Usopp lamented, shaking his head.

"If only she was here, I could escape this story-telling torture…" Franky thought before adding loudly, "Then, I am going to fetch F… Huh? Hey, who did I just say I will go fetch?" asked Franky, puzzled.

"I… I don't remember either." Usopp said, scratching his cheek.

On the deck, Zoro was training as usual. He then stopped doing weightlifting to take his swords and work on his techniques.

_Closing down the distance, reducing my perimeter, improving my garde_ … Zoro thought, focused on his goals, _Do NOT let her the opportunity to enter my perimeter… No way that I would let her get close to me again, she…_

Zoro abruptly stopped the move he was practicing.

"Wait a minute… She? She, who? Who was I thinking about just now?" Zoro panted, confused.

At different places of the Thousand Sunny, Luffy and the others were staring at the empty space and at their empty memory, completely puzzled, feeling as if they just forgot about something important but not remembering what it was…

"Oh well! If it's important, it will come back to me!" Luffy grinned.

* * *

## TO BE CONTINUED


End file.
